


Window Ledge

by orphan_account



Category: Avengers, Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mental Institution, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Family Feels, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Schizophrenia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 10:29:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15192824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Loki had always been a different child. It had started when he was just a toddler learning well above his class, but what it morphed into was far worse. His family could always protect him from everyone, except himself.





	1. Barriers

**Author's Note:**

> Hey this is my first fanfic so any feedback or ideas are great thanks! :) Also this was inspired by A Friend In Need from fanfiction.net

For Odin and his wife life could not have been any better. As a well-sought after lawyer, he was constantly bring in money for his wife and only child, Thor. They lived in a large farmhouse with hundreds of acres of land surrounding them, but no matter how many friends Thor seemed to have over there was always a sense of emptiness about it.

It was, by all accounts, a chance encounter, their now two year old son had managed to get a gash on his forehead after trying to force his way into a piñata at a party and slipping. A young, new-born seeming baby was being brought- no rushed- through the waiting rooms to a another part of the building. What he did manage to pick up from the shouted demands and uttered details was that the boy had been found abandoned in the cold winter, hypothermic and alone. 

A sad and slightly concerned look flashed over his face for a minute before he turned back to his wife, who was staring straight ahead at where the boy had just been rushed to. A determined look had settled in her eyes, one that could inspire fear in those who got on her bad side, but only caused a knowing glint in Odin's eyes, understanding immediately that this could be the key to unlocking all the joy our home could bring us. 

After getting Thor back from the he doctor, with a couple stitches and no other harm done, Freyja questioned about the mystery boy endlessly, finding out quickly that he would be sent to emergency foster care. Settled on the idea of trying to bring new light into her home and having already formed a bond in her mind in the few fleeting seconds she saw the boy. Odin's wife new exactly what she needed to do.

It was a long process that was cut drastically short, with Odin's experience as a lawyer and the paperwork was being sent through as the young child recovered in hospital. It was a miracle, in the doctors minds that he had survived so long in the cold, but it was well understood that he would likely never grow to be as strong as the other children his age. Eventually, the day came that he could be taken home in the caring arms of his new family.

As the years had flown by, the differences between the brothers had become tragically obvious. Whilst Thor had grown taller and taller, gaining more muscle mass and setting records in most sports he tried in school, Loki hadn't grown nearly as tall reaching just below Thor's shoulder at the ages of seven and nine. Thor was tanned with had golden hair, in contrast to the shock of dark hair that laid on Loki's pale skin. He was still small, for his age and too thin for Freyja's liking, which meant he was given food piled onto to his plate that he scarcely ever finished.

Many times a year he would become ill enough to stay in bed for a whole week and on more than one occasion had been rushed to the hospital surrounding by a very confused brother and panicking parents. However his physical issues seemed almost none existent when you focused your attention on his intellect. From his toddler years, it was clear he would be smart, but when he was receiving Grade 9 work at seven the question of how smart had to be asked.

Child prodigy experts had been very impressed after seeing him and made Freyja and Odin (albeit less outwardly) immensely proud of their youngest. Back then there would be no signs telling the pain that would come, they did not know then that their light brought into a house that would be waiting like a match, ready for fire.


	2. Bad Times Ahead

At 11 years old Thor was as happy as any child could be. Middle school had showered him with affection and praise from his peers and teachers alike, although as charming as he could be the school work left a bit to be desired, and yet he smiled through because he really didn't have any reason not to.

Loki had clearly been cut from a different thread, and if it hadn't been for the brothers telling anyone who would listen about how incredible their sibling was, no one would have known about the relation.

Freyja and Odin had been told by all Loki's teachers that he should be moved up multiple grades, but they didn't want to waste his childhood, wanting him to know that there's important things to learn that can't be read in a book.

This was a very hard statement to stick, because even though Thor would play outside and play all sorts of sports with his many friends and Loki would sit inside reading, drawing or writing alone, they still loved each other more than anything.

And when Thor moved up to middle school, Loki had cried silently all night, which proved so heartbreaking to them that Thor had begun tearing up, something that he never normally did.

Many differences were clear to the outside world, bu there was one they kept as a guarded secret. Loki had always been a unique child, but sometimes they began to think it was something a bit more sinister.

This was a thought born from the many times Freyja had heard him speaking to someone in a hushed tone, when he was all alone. She thought this was just about loneliness, so she set him up on a play date.

The only issue was as soon as the other child entered, Loki began screaming that they were trying to kill him, that the child was there to hurt him.

He blindly panicked and begged his parents to make him go, which was difficult to listen to since Freyja was already extremely worried, but what he said next broke her from he confused trance.

"Do you want them to take me mother?"

This was all that Freyja could take, she sent the child and their mother out of the house and did her best to console her son. Thor had thankfully been at a friends house for the whole 'scene', although he was still concerned about why Loki was in his room with mother, and hadn't come out to see him yet.

As soon as Odin came back from work his wife told him everything, and they decided- after much discussion- that they would wait to see what would happen, if the strange behaviour would carry on. 

This was, without a doubt, the biggest mistake they could've made.


End file.
